poodlefan

There is an option far preferable to having glands removed - learn to express them yourself. Its not that difficult. Many groomers routinely express dogs' anal glands when they bath dogs. Psyllium husks and vigorous exercise can help but as dogs no longer consume the fur and feather they had on caught meals, this is likely to be an ongoing issue. My vet told me that bone in the diet does not have the ability to assist with this issue - its bulk that is needed. Try baked or mashed pumpkin also - my dogs love it. ETA: Just out of interest, is your Cocker docked?

What breed is the pup. I would not use a mallet to crush bones except for the tiniest puppies.

No product will assist with this situation. I'd not be using an e-collar in it either. You need professional help. Without it, I expect you'll have more incidents. No one can give you safe advice without seeing your dogs so the only advice I can give you to help manage the situation is to keep them separate.

I certainly have! I even looked for some ferreters, but couldn't find any local. I don't know anywhere around here that would have lots of rabbits. We live in an area that has lots of bush and rocks but not a lot of open grassy areas. And lots of National Parks where I wouldn't be able to take ferrets anyway. And I realise it's probably more labour intensive than looking after a handful of bunnies. I've even thought about getting myself a rabbit-hunting dog. :D Thanks for the info, guys. It's illegal to course live prey in every state of Australia so a rabbit hunter is out. You'd be better off learning to shoot and getting a gun license. Some rural supply places sell rabbit (wild killed) for dog food. In most urban areas you cannot slaughter animals on your property so buying dead bunnies is probably the way to go.

It doesn't sound dramatic to me. Winter sees dogs put more energy into keeping themselves warm - it might be a simple as that. he might also have lost some muscle - fat weighs less. Can you post a pic. Many beagles I've seen could afford to lose a little weight.

I agree. Nothing worse than seeing a frustrated or upset kid that's been matched with the wrong breed of dog. I wouldn't recommend a terrier to many adult handers let alone a child. Yes, they can do agility. Yes, they can do it well. But I've seen far too many handlers struggle to get the necessary focus and control with them. They aren't a breed I'd recommend for many novice agility handlers. Ditto goes for the super high drive working breeds. Simply too much dog. And low drive dogs take a lot of patience too.

I use Pookinuk I pay only $5 for any order to be delivered to me in Canberra.

How about "the child was not effectively supervised with the dog". A leading Australian paediatrician spoke at a child safety conference a few years back. He said that the records show that the leading reason for dog bites on children was "lack of effective parental supervision". In the room with the dog and the baby or not, the supervision was not effective. I don't need first hand knowledge of the event to support THAT conclusion. I don't blame the dog or the child.. that doesn't leave many other options.

It's not often I disagree with you PF but I honestly think it might not be the safest bet for the little one, living with a boisterous Aussie. I have spoken to a heap of people who have paps, since Chloe is so set on one. Every single one has advised against having one live with large active breeds, some of them through bad experiences where the pap has been seriously hurt. My girls are great with paps...but playing with them occasionally is different to living with them full time. Point taken Vickie. I'd not allow them to free run unsupervised but they are pretty good at ruling the roost. I thought Chloe had her heart set on a Whippet? ETA: A NSDTR from the right lines might be another possibility.

Smaller dogs I'd recommend would be: Sheltie (nice outgoing one) Papillon Miniature or Toy Poodle Most CKCS I've seen don't have a lot of drive but the right one would be a good choice. Personally, I'd go for a Pap or a Toy Poodle for the safest bet. I reckon one of either breed (opt for a bitch) would have an Aussie Shepherd whipped into line in no time!

The pup may not be 'under confident'. Given its upbringing, it may lack socialisation with people. It will need as much controlled socialisation with new people, places and dogs as its owners can give it. I'd suggest they join a decent dog training club and enrol in obedience training also - for the longer term. Training is a great way of building a relationship of focus and trust on the handler. Two critical socialisation periods in this pup's life have come and gone. I hope your friends are realistic about how much effort this pup will require from them and that it may never fully regain what it has lost.

If they left a crawling child unsupervised with the family dog, they should beat themselves up plenty. The result of their lack of supervision will be a child with probable facial scars for life and no doubt a dog on a one way trip to the vet. All TOTALLY preventable.

I didn't think that the OP refering to her "housemate" necessarily indicated that there was a more significant relationship between them. I'd happily move house if it meant I didn't have to part with a much loved dog.

Your dog fights with your housemate's dog. Your housemate doesn't want you to mate your girl for a litter. I'll suggest a solution that doesn't involve dogs... either shed your housemate or find a new place to live.

How much exercise outside their yard do your dogs get daily? Do you regularly train them? Boredom is a major cause of unwanted barking. If you increase training and exercise, it may help.

Dr Ian Bidstrup is a chiropractic vet with a practice in Wangaratta. The practice runs clinics in Shepperton and Beechworth. This is his website.

Don Burke is championing the commercial scale breeding of dogs. He has done so for years. The RSPCA is launching campaigns targetting puppy farms. They want them legislated and regulated out of existence. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see why Don Burke would be embarking on this particular course of action.

I don't think much of that puppy school. Nelson doesn't need to learn "how not to be a sook". He needs to learn that you will protect him from dogs big enough to harm him by playing roughly. Furthermore, your small pup should not be used as a training aid so that someone else's larger pup learns how not to play roughly. Personally, I'd suggest you find a trainer who knows more about dog behaviour and one that isn't interested in telling you a bunch of crap to promote the food they sell.

Used a money order No wonder you love Ozentries!!

Of course you are Hope I'm not doing a 3 1/2 hour drive for nothing. Rang to check I'm in the catalogue but didn't get hold of anyone. Have they cashed your cheque?

I got numbers for all three shows today. I must be spethal.

Isn't JG Welsh?? She'd be a Welsh Terrier then.

We just used coloured electrical tape. x 2 Our club uses tape on the jump bars and on each end of weave poles and the broad jump uprights.

For training or for exercise? I take my pups for small walks onlead for training but they dont' get any onlead exercise at all until they are 6 months old. Pavement pounding is tough for a growing pup. They can get overtired but will try to keep up. They can't be expected to do the pace of an adult dog for long. I cringe when I see baby pups being expected to do long walks.